For most, climbing and skiing the highest mountain in Western Europe is a multi-day event. For Utah-based skier Anna DeMonte, it takes less than the time of the standard American workday. 

On June 5, 2024, DeMonte set the women’s ski Fastest Known Time (FKT) on Mont Blanc, climbing almost 13,000 feet from the valley floor to the 15,777-foot summit and skiing back down in just 7 hours and 29 minutes. 

DeMonte and her partner Jack Kuenzle spent the spring of 2024 in Chamonix, France, training and preparing for the speed attempt (Kuenzle attempted a men’s FKT on the route on the same day and set the new record for the ski FKT, two minutes short of Kilian Jornet’s overall FKT). They spent weeks skiing on the Mont Blanc massif, getting to know the heavily glaciated route, which can change daily depending on conditions.  

The most popular way to ski the Grands Mulet route on Mont Blanc is by taking the Aiguille du Midi to the mid station, starting at the Grands Mulets hut at 10,010 feet. But, like many contested speed routes in Europe, the FKT route starts and ends at the church in downtown Chamonix. In June, this involves about 3,300 feet of technical trail running before reaching snow—meaning the entire trip would start and end in running shoes. 

DeMonte’s short film dives into the preparation behind her record-breaking ski tour and what it meant to share the experience on the mountain with her partner, Kuenzle. 

“This challenge is special to me because it combined almost every alpine skill I have learned in recent years to do safely and quickly,” DeMonte said in an announcement afterwards. “I’m humbled by this mountain and I hope to inspire more women to attempt speed ski efforts on this in the future.”

DeMonte is all smiles as she nears the summit on her FKT attempt on Mont Blanc, the highest mountain in Western Europe. Photo: Aaron Rolph